Archbishop Alter boys basketball coach Joe Petrocelli reaches 800 wins in Ohio

It's been quite a season for milestone wins for area basketball coaches in southwest Ohio this winter.

Archbishop Alter (Kettering) boys basketball coach Joe Petrocelli became the latest to reach a milestone win when he won his 800th career game Feb. 26 in a Division II sectional game against Dayton Carroll, according to the Dayton Daily News.

Petrocelli, who is the only boys basketball coach in school history, improved to 800-286 after the game, according to the publication.

Alter, ranked No. 9 in the season's final Associated Press Division II state poll, joins Kalida's Richard Kortokrax the only boys basketball coaches to reach 800 career wins, according to the Ohio High School Athletic Association.

"If you have great players — which we've had through the years — and great assistant coaches, which I've had through my whole career, it's easy," Petrocelli told the Dayton Daily News.

Sophomore guard Jaaron Simmons had 17 points, four assists and three rebounds to lead the Knights over the Patriots. Both teams play in the Greater Catholic League North division.

Petrocelli is the second area coach to receive a significant milestone win within the past few weeks. Ed Zink of Beavercreek recently reached No. 658 to become Ohio 's all-time winningest girls basketball coach.

Petrocelli reportedly was relieved to reach his milestone after the game.

"I was happy to get that out of the way," Petrocelli told the publication. "It's fun. I'm nervous before every game, but it's still fun."

Alter finished the season with a 16-6 record after a 67-57 loss to Fenwick in the sectional tournament.

THREE CINCINNATI-AREA WRESTLERS WIN TITLES
Joey Ward of Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati), Chaz Gresham of Goshen and Stephen Myers of Reading won state wrestling titles Saturday at Ohio State's Value City Arena. Ward won the Division I state title at 125 pounds as he defeated Wadsworth's Kagan Squire. Gresham defeated St. Paris Graham's Huston Evans to win the 189-pound Division II title. In Division III, Myers defeated Caldwell's Jeremy Border to win the 125-pound state title.

LAKOTA EAST BOYS BASKETBALL ADVANCES
The Lakota East (Liberty Township) boys basketball team advanced to Saturday's Division I district final as the Thunderhawks defeated St. Xavier 45-32 in a sectional final on March 5. Lakota East – ranked No. 1 in the Cincinnati Enquirer area coaches' poll – advances to play league rival Princeton (Cincinnati) at 9 p.m. Saturday at University of Dayton Arena. Senior guard Jalen Goodwin and senior forward Cameron Lee led Lakota East with 10 points each against St. Xavier.

TOP STANDOUTS
* Brandon Murphy, Fairfield: The junior forward had 12 points and 11 rebounds to lift the Indians past Turpin 52-41 in a Division I sectional tournament game, according to the Enquirer.

* Jelan Render, North College Hill: The senior guard had 20 points in a 65-54 win over Indian Hill in a Division II sectional tournament game, according to the Enquirer.

* Max Davis, Seven Hills: The senior guard had 18 points to lead Seven Hills past Hillcrest 65-36 in a Division IV sectional tournament game, according to the Enquirer.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE
* Division I girls basketball regional semifinals, Tuesday: The doubleheader at Wright State features Fairmont (Kettering) against Mason at 6:15 p.m., followed by Princeton (Cincinnati) against Springboro at 8 p.m. Princeton has been the top-ranked team in Cincinnati all season. The regional final is Friday night.

* Division II boys basketball district finals, Wednesday: North College Hill (Cincinnati) plays Thurgood Marshall (Dayton) in the opener of the Division II district finals at University of Dayton Arena at 5:30 p.m. Roger Bacon (Cincinnati) plays Graham Local (St. Paris) at 9 p.m. The winners advance to the regional round next week.

* Division I boys basketball district finals, Saturday: Several games highlight the district finals at UD Arena. Troy plays Withrow (Cincinnati) at 11 a.m., followed by Archbishop Moeller (Cincinnati) vs. Trotwood-Madison at 2 p.m., Wayne (Huber Heights) vs. Winton Woods (Cincinnati) at 4 p.m., La Salle (Cincinnati) vs. Meadowdale (Dayton) at 7 p.m. and Lakota East (Liberty Township) vs. Princeton (Cincinnati) at 9 p.m.

RANDOM THOUGHTS
Middletown Madison senior point guard Josh Foster broke the school's career assist record earlier this season. He had 495 assists going into the sectional semifinal game against Waynesville. … Former Major League Baseball player and manager Don Zimmer will reportedly attend the Cincinnati Public Schools Hall of Fame induction on April 12 at Cincinnati State College. Zimmer, who is on the coaching staff for the Tampa Bay Rays, graduated from Western Hills High School in 1949. … Joe Pollitt has been named the athletic director at Northwest (Cincinnati). He was formerly an assistant athletic director at Colerain.